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23

Oct2018

Skin Care Packaging Matters: Why You Should Ditch Jars

Paula Begoun is The Cosmetics Cop, a name Oprah Winfrey gave her. Paula and her research team have written 21 books on beauty including her best-selling series Don’t Go To the Cosmetics Counter Without Me. Paula also launched Paula’s Choice Skincare In this article Paula explains why Skincare Packaging matters.

If you’re spending money on skin care products that come in jars, you’re doing your skin a major disservice, especially when buying anti-aging products. We reveal what the research has to say about this topic and share the kinds of effective skincare packaging required for maximum benefit.

Jar Packaging & Skin Care Ingredient Stability Issues

Research makes it clear that many of the best ingredients for skin—including antioxidants and anti-aging champions like vitamin C and retinol—break down in the presence of air. Essentially, opening a jar* lets air in, causing these important ingredients to begin deteriorating, becoming less and less effective with each use.

Making matters worse, see-through glass jars (or clear bottles or tubes) allow routine exposure to daylight, further compromising the efficacy of these types of ingredients.

There’s also the hygiene issue: Every time you dip your fingers into the jar, you contaminate the formula—even if you wash your hands first or use the “special” spatula that accompanies some jar-packaged products. It’s simply impossible to keep the tools and your fingers completely clean. This hygiene issue stresses the preservative system, leading to further deterioration of the beneficial ingredients.

* Airless jars (the kind where you press the top down to dispense product without opening the jar) are the exception to this rule because they restrict air flow and help keep the delicate ingredients stable.

What to Look for in Smart SkinCare Packaging

Smart skin care packaging is a cornerstone of Paula’s Choice. From airless pumps, multi-layer tubes, opaque bottles, to UV-protected containers and air-restrictive openings, we make sure our complex formulas stay as potent and effective as possible.

Here are a few examples of what state-of-the art skin care packaging should be:

You might wonder—if all of this is true, then why do companies continue to sell expensive skin care creams in jars? Trust us, we’re just as frustrated by this as you are. It’s not like the research on jar packaging is locked and hidden away somewhere—it’s been around for years and is undeniably known among cosmetic chemists.

Case in point, the Guidelines on Stability of Cosmetic Products, published by the Cosmetic, Toiletry, and Fragrance Association (CTFA) in 2004 states: “Packaging can directly affect finished product stability because of interactions which can occur between the product, the package, and the external environment. Such interactions may include … barrier properties of the container [and] its effectiveness in protecting the contents from the adverse effects of atmospheric oxygen.…”

Regardless of these research-based facts about jar packaging, there remains a certain air of prestige tied to fancy, weighty jars, and many consumers still prefer them. That’s why so many brands continue to use them and why people continue to buy them.

Another factor is that it’s sometimes easier or less expensive for a company to put their formulas in jars; so, in essence, they’re taking a shortcut that shortchanges your skin. State-of-the-art, stability-proof packaging may cost more behind the scenes, but it’s vital if the formula is to work as effectively as it possibly can for your skin.

Paula Begoun

It all started when Paula was very young trying to take care of her own problem skin that progressively got worse in spite of the professional help sought. Acne, super-oily skin along with debilitating eczema over 60% of her body at the age of 11!

She tried numerous options but all led to disappointment. In early adulthood after working as a makeup artist to send herself through university she came to the realization that most skincare claims were either seriously misleading. Determined to find out the truth about skin and skincare—it became a compulsion eventually leading her to take her first steps into a career in the world of cosmetics.

“I didn’t want anyone to go through what I went through ever again. In looking over my evolving career, I believe I’ve accomplished much of what I set out to do. But I’m not quitting! There’s still a lot of work and research yet to be done and this blog continues my lifelong work”

Very beautifully written! We all go through similar emotions when our kids move out . The degree of missing them varies depending on the bond between the parents and the children. It is surely wise to cherish the new found free time by keeping oneself occupied with ones long lost hobbies and more quality time between the parents. Maybe give more time to ones aging parents who too must be missing us ! Meditation and Yoga does the magic trick too !

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